The manner of serving meals to seated patrons in restaurants has remained substantially unchanged for many years. Traditionally, restaurant patrons are seated at a table or booth, usually facing each other. A waiter or waitress approaches the table with place settings and menus, or the place settings and menus may already be in position at the table. In either event, the waiter or waitress writes down the entree selection of each patron and then turns in the order for the entire table to the chef. The chef prepares the meal and places the meal and service dishes in a location accessible to the waiter or waitress. The service dishes are then manually carried, either on a tray or individually, to the table and placed before the patrons. When the restaurant patrons have finished their meal, the soiled dinnerware and leftovers are manually removed from the table and taken to the kitchen, either individually or on a tray. The table is then cleaned in preparation for subsequent patrons.
In this conventional manner of servicing restaurant tables a considerable amount of manual manipulation and handling of food and dishware at the tables is required on the part of the restarurant personnel. Food and dishes in the kitchen must be moved by the chef to an area accessible to the waiters and waitresses and in turn by them to a tray or directly to the table at which the patrons are seated. In clearing the table, dishes and leftovers must first be cleared from the table and placed in a busman's tray. The tray must then be carried to the kitchen. A dishwasher must lift the various dishes from the tray, dispose of scraps in the garbage, and carry dishware to be reused to a sink for cleaning. The many steps in the manual manipulation of the dishes and the food orders requires the services of many restaurant personnel.